ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A little over a week after listing 10th in the coaches poll, the 2001 University of Michigan football team checked in at No. 12 in the preseason Associated Press national rankings released Saturday (Aug. 11). The Wolverines begin their 122nd season of gridiron action as the top-ranked team in the Big Ten Conference.

Florida tops both the coaches and media polls, with the AP top five consisting of No. 2 Miami (Fla.), No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4, Nebraska and No. 5 Texas. In addition to Michigan, the Big Ten has No. 16 Northwestern, No. 22 Wisconsin and No. 23 Ohio State represented in the AP poll.

The Wolverines open their 75th season of football action at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 1, against Miami (Ohio) at 3:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN Regional Television. Following the game, Michigan travels to Husky Stadium in Seattle, Wash., for a 3:30 p.m. EDT kickoff Sept. 8 against preseason No. 15 Washington on ABC Sports.